Wheelies: The Vice Presidential Auto Show Edition

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Vice President Joe Biden, pictured in a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, is expected to attend the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week.CreditCarolyn Kaster/Associated Press

By Benjamin Preston

Jan. 9, 2014

A roundup of motoring news from the web:

■ Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is scheduled to attend the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week, along with three of President Obama’s Cabinet members. The last time Mr. Biden made an appearance at the Detroit show was in 2007, when he was still one of Delaware’s United States senators. (Automotive News, subscription required)

■ In other executive branch news, David Strickland, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has decided to leave federal service for private industry. He will be joining the regulatory group of Venable LL, a law firm in Washington. David Friedman, who once served as the clean vehicles program deputy director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, will take over an acting director of the agency. (The Detroit News)

■ Not far away, on Capitol Hill in Washington, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that would do away with a 37-year-old federal rule requiring automotive dealers to inspect and certify that new vehicles comply with the Clean Air Act. Proponents of the legislation, including the National Automobile Dealers Association, say that the certification is a wasteful doubling of effort; that similar certification is usually included with new vehicles or posted online. (Reuters)

■ Ford may nudge its quarterly dividend up to 12 cents a share, which would provide $34 million to the Ford family, the controlling interest in Detroit’s second-largest automaker. If Ford moves ahead with the increase — its second in two years — trading under the new distribution will probably begin on Jan. 28, say Bloomberg financial analysts. (Bloomberg)

■ Nissan announced Wednesday that it would increase the price of the Leaf electric vehicle by $180 for 2014. The new prices, which do not include state and federal tax credits, will be $29,830 for the Leaf S and $32,850 for the Leaf SV, including destination charges. (Automotive News, subscription required)

■ Elio Motors, the not-quite-off-the-ground automotive start-up that wants to build 3-wheel cars, is a step closer to gaining access to a former General Motors truck plant in Shreveport, La., where the company’s founder, Paul Elio, said last year that it would begin production by the middle of 2014. The Caddo Parish Industrial Development Board bought the property, and Mr. Elio said his company raised $7 million toward renting part of the building. (The New Orleans Advocate)

■ Although Chrysler’s performance parts arm, Mopar, introduced the first Hemi in 1951, it wasn’t until 1964 that the division unleashed the now-legendary 426-cubic-inch Hemi big-block V8. The Gen II 426 has been a favorite in the racing community since Richard Petty won Nascar’s 1964 Daytona 500 in a Hemi-powered Plymouth. This year, Mopar will celebrate the engine’s 50th anniversary with events and marketable memorabilia. (Autoblog)

■ The Hawai’i Racing Association may be moving ahead with plans to build a motorsports park on the Aloha State’s big island. The initiative has been underway since 1994, but with improving economic conditions and local government support, association members say they believe that the time may be right to push for county approval and a $500,000 environmental impact study. (Hemmings Daily)